Model comparison
DeepSeek V3 vs DeepSeek V4 Flash Base
Head-to-head evidence from 1 shared benchmark result across 1 category. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V3 #147 (Supported); DeepSeek V4 Flash Base unranked (Not scored). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Flash Base share 1 comparable benchmark result. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 21 results are unique to DeepSeek V3; 23 to DeepSeek V4 Flash Base.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 1
- DeepSeek V3 only
- 21
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Base only
- 23
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. DeepSeek V3 makes more sense if knowledge is the priority; DeepSeek V4 Flash Base is the better fit if you need the larger 1M context window.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 1 shared benchmark result across 1 evidence category; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Flash Base finish on the same BenchAlign overall score, so this is less about a single winner and more about where the edge shows up. The BenchAlign headline says tie; the benchmark table is where the real choice happens.
DeepSeek V4 Flash Base gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | DeepSeek V3 | Δ | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | DeepSeek V372.7 | Margin← 16.3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base56.4 |
| Coding | DeepSeek V338.9 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V4 Flash BaseNot measured |
| Reasoning | DeepSeek V3Not measured | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base44.7 |
| Math | DeepSeek V31.7 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V4 Flash BaseNot measured |
| Inst. Following | DeepSeek V386.1 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V4 Flash BaseNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 75.9%B 68.3%Winner: DeepSeek V3Δ 7.6MMLU-Pro: DeepSeek V3 scored 75.9%; DeepSeek V4 Flash Base scored 68.3%. DeepSeek V3 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | DeepSeek V3$0.27 input / $1.1 output | DeepSeek V4 Flash BaseNot available | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | DeepSeek V3Not available | DeepSeek V4 Flash BaseNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | DeepSeek V3Not available | DeepSeek V4 Flash BaseNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | DeepSeek V3128K | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base1M | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic4 benchmarks
Coding6 benchmarks
Reasoning8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-LCRSource | 29.0% | — | Not comparable |
| CritPtSource | 0.0% | — | Not comparable |
| BBHSource | — | 86.9% | Not comparable |
| DROPSource | — | 88.6% | Not comparable |
| HellaSwagSource | — | 85.7% | Not comparable |
| WinoGrandeSource | — | 79.5% | Not comparable |
| CLUEWSCSource | — | 82.2% | Not comparable |
| LongBench v2Source | — | 44.7% | Not comparable |
KnowledgeDeepSeek V3 wins19 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 59.1% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 75.9% | 68.3% | DeepSeek V3 leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 14.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 55.7% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | 3.6% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -41.3% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 25.4% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 89.4% | — | Not comparable |
| AGIEvalSource | — | 82.6% | Not comparable |
| MMLUSource | — | 88.7% | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ReduxSource | — | 89.4% | Not comparable |
| MMMLUSource | — | 88.8% | Not comparable |
| C-EvalSource | — | 92.1% | Not comparable |
| CMMLUSource | — | 90.4% | Not comparable |
| MultiLoKoSource | — | 42.2% | Not comparable |
| SimpleQASource | — | 30.1% | Not comparable |
| SuperGPQASource | — | 46.5% | Not comparable |
| FACTS ParametricSource | — | 33.9% | Not comparable |
| TriviaQASource | — | 82.8% | Not comparable |
Math4 benchmarks
Multilingual1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MGSMSource | — | 85.7% | Not comparable |
Multimodal1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Base | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1150 | — | Not comparable |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Flash Base?
DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Flash Base are tied on the BenchAlign overall score, so the right pick depends on which category matters most for your use case.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Flash Base?
DeepSeek V3 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.7 versus 56.4. Inside this category, MMLU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Self-host vs API cost
Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.
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